The island was known in antiquity under various similar names. Homer is the first to mention it under the name “Psyrii” in the Odyssey. It is also referred to by Strabo as “Psyra”. In Psara, archaeological excavations have brought to light findings of human activity from the Neolithic period (5th-4th millennium BC), with a peak…
The ancient Greeks referred to the islands by the same name (the name of the islands reflects the land’s wealth in wine as the word “oíno” means in greek wine.) The historian Thoukydídis (5th century BC) wrote that the Athenian fleet used the islands as their base of operations against Chíos. In the area around…
During antiquity the island was known as PITYOÚSA (many pines) and MÁKRIS (due to its long shape). During Homeric times it was called PAIPALÓESSA, meaning rocky. The name “CHÍOS” was taken from the mythological son of the sea god Poseidónas. The island was inhabited from the Stone Age (findings in Ágios Gálas). During the 16th…
Mytilene The city of Mytilene, the capital of the island, is spread over seven hills and is one of the oldest cities in Greece, with a history dating back to the 3rd millennium BC. In antiquity, Mytilene was located on the easternmost coast of Lesvos on a small island that was later joined to Lesvos…